The Party of the European Left (PEL), which is made up of left groups across Europe, held its Third Mediterranean conference in Malaga, on the southern coast of Spain, from March 31 to April 2.
The three-day gathering brought together left-wing, socialist, anti-imperialist and anti-austerity parties from across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
It marked an important development in the collective understanding across the Mediterranean left of the problems of militarism and austerity, as well as the consequences of the refugee crisis on some of the poorest countries in the region. Participants also reaffirmed their commitment and solidarity with the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
In the opening panel of the conference Inger Johansen, of the Danish Red-Green Alliance, remarked on the need for social struggle against austerity, particular with the rise of far-right and xenophobic political forces across the continent.
Read the article by Denis Rogatyuk in Green Left Weekly.